Much like free agency in other sports, professional wrestling is starting to heat up as well. While they don’t have a set offseason for moves, there is still plenty of excitement about who is going where since AEW (All Elite Wrestling) started. According to Brad Shepard, the newest names on that list are Luke Harper and Matt Hardy.
Since AEW launched, fans have been clamoring for their favorites to jump ship. While not always feasible due to various reasons, there seems to have been a raised voice of malcontents in the WWE. One of those was Luke Harper, who had asked for his release a couple of times. But he’s had to wait.
https://twitter.com/TheBradShepard/status/1234255949860425730
No Compete Clause
The reason Harper’s name is circulating now is because of a No Compete Clause in his WWE contract. The No Compete Clause is something the WWE instituted following the Monday Night Wars where Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Alundra Blayze, and other signed with WCW as soon as their contracts ended.
It’s generally a safety precaution against their talent repeating those actions and are reportedly thirty to sixty days. Like in any walk of life, the contracts are private, so there’s no way to now if the clause is in their standard contract or is something they are required to sign to be released.
Because of this, wrestlers like Luke Harper are unable to sign (allegedly) with what the WWE views as their primary competition, in this case AEW.
But with his clause coming to an end, we can expect news on his signing coming any day now.
This brings up an interesting question for Matt Hardy, as he’s also expected to sign with AEW now that his WWE contract is over and compete under his Indie name, Brodie Lee.
Matt’s a free agent
Unlike with Harper, it appears that Matt Hardy doesn’t have a No Compete Clause, which would point t it being used strictly for those being released, which makes sense.
It’s been reported that the WWE made a strong run to resign Hardy, but he declined their offers. According to Hardy, it wasn’t about the money, but being able to do something. It’s the usual complaint that seems to be coming out of the WWE lately.
It’s a legitimate complaint simply because of the size of their roster. The WWE has made a habit of signing anyone and everyone through the years, and the result is a bloated, over-sized roster. It’s a hindrance in many ways with the time limits on who can appear on their televised shows. And with house shows reportedly being cut back to save expenses, that means fewer opportunities in general for the mid-carders to show their skills.
But for those like Matt Hardy, who was once a high profile superstar and still get a bigger pop than their current top stars, it’s probably also about how they’re treated. For months, he’s been labeled a mid-card talent and has been chasing after the should-be-abolished 24/7 Championship and finally as a jobber.
If he was unable to compete at a high level, it’d make sense, but when he’s been given the chance he’s shown he can still perform. Professional wrestling isn’t like other sports in that the wrestler’s shelf life isn’t determined by their age and abilities, but by the fans’ reactions. If they still sell tickets, they’re generally given the opportunity to do so. At least, so long as the promoter doesn’t have it in his head certain actual mid-card wrestlers should be the top dog.
Fresh start
It can’t be stressed enough how important it is for people to get a fresh start, and it’s something Matt Hardy and Luke Harper have the chance for. How they’d be used is open to speculation as we’ve voiced our thoughts on Matt being the head of AEW’s Dark Order. Harper could be similar to Jon Moxley, but one constant in AEW is they give their talent the creative freedom for their characters, so it’s wide open.
With the Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) reportedly still refusing a new contract, and Shinsuke Nakamura’s recent tweet what seems like him being disappointed in how things are going, things could get interesting in a hurry. When Bray Wyatt’s response to a fan about WWE destroying characters is added to the mix, it appears there may be more trouble brewing behind the scenes.
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